My Path... and Yours!
In 2019, I created a solo show, a sort of cabaret alone on stage: “Ma Voie·x”. This show tells my life, from my childhood to today, and how I learned to tame my voice… and at the same time, found my path. I performed it once at the MJC of Crépy en Valois where I was in residence, and then time passed, and I procrastinated (one of the songs I wrote for the play is actually called “My Problem Is Procrastination”!).
In 2020, COVID hit us, putting the project definitively on hold… until last weekend, more than 4 years later! It must be said that creating Eat the Cake Studio kept me quite busy. And it is through Eat the Cake Studio that I decided to relaunch the project, taking the opportunity to add even more interactivity and immersion.
Last spring, I asked Lionel, the director of the MJC and the unwavering support of all the artists in the region, to reschedule my show. As always, he was immediately on board, but he wanted me to extend the show with a conference or a workshop. That was perfect, as I already intended to create a workshop on the theme “finding your path,” since it is one of the two pillars of my show, to help anyone who wants, whether young people from second chance houses, job seekers, incarcerated populations, or people in career transitions. This workshop fits perfectly within the “Education and Enrichment” branch of Eat the Cake, which includes all projects aiming to have a positive influence on the world socially and ecologically.
Without hesitation, Ma Voie·x and its workshop were scheduled to be performed on two dates in December. A deadline, exactly what I needed to finally complete this project!
Now, all that was left was to rework the show and create the workshop. Fortunately, I had the help of my teammates, as wonderful as they were creative… which still didn’t prevent me from leaving most of the work until the last minute; procrastination, when it grabs hold of us!
Drawing on our expertise in immersive experiences and in training, we added a good dose of interactivity to the show, inviting spectators to dance, draw, sing with me, and using food and smells to plunge them into my memories. The workshop, meanwhile, encourages participants to revisit their childhood dreams and to align the values tied to them with their current skills, helping them to discover or rediscover their path... or simply to confirm their choices!
My collaborators traveled from afar to support me and help during the dress rehearsal and playtest of the workshop, to which I also invited a small group of job seekers who had just participated in my last presentation of “Self-assertion Through Immersive Arts.”
Whether during the dress rehearsal or the two performances, all feedback was positive, the audience got into the game and the workshop led to beautiful moments of sharing and fascinating awareness. And I was able to use the audience's feedback and suggestions to further improve this presentation and go even further in sharing and immersion!
Ma Voie·x and its workshop are now ready to be shown all over France, whether in theaters or any organization that wishes it. If you or someone you know is interested in this project to have it performed at your place, do not hesitate to contact Eat The Cake Studio!
One of the sketches drawn by participants when I pose nude; a memorable moment for most spectators!